Building unit



May 7, 1940.

Filed Nov. 19, 1938 ATTORNEY Patented May 7, 1940 UNITED STATES BUILDING UNIT Vern A, Barnhart, Chester, N. Application November 19, 1938, ySerial No. 241,356

10 Claims.

My invention relates to building units of the socalled hollow tile type and more particularly to burned-clay building units of a hard, vitreous nature. While properly burned-clay units are highly resistant to fire, include highly impervious surfaces, and present other material advantages, said units at the same time include disadvantages such as little absorption and consequent in ability to properly grip the associated mortar, and lack of insulating properties against sound, heat and cold, which reduce the utility thereof to a considerable extent.

The object of my invention is to provide building units and more particularly impervious clay building 'units constructed in a novel manner to insure ecient insulation against heat, cold and sound, and to afford mortar beds of suitable absorption to provide efficient bonding.

Other more specific objects will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates examples of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. l is a perspective view, partly broken away, of one form of the novel unit; Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof on the line l2---2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of another form of the novel unit; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view thereof; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a further form of the novel unit, and Fig. 6 is a plan view of still another form of the novel unit.

In describing the novel building unit, it will be assumed that the shell or body thereof is constructed of a material which, in the finished condition of the block, is inherently deficient in absorption properties and which likewise is inherently deficient in temperature and sound insulating properties; that is to say, the shell'or body of the unit may be constructed of vitried clay which, in the finished condition of the unit, is hard and dense and does not develop an efficient grip upon the associated mortar when incorporated in a masonry structure such as a wall or the like, and in addition does not rate very highly in the matter of providing insulation against heat, cold and sound. Such building units provide finished faces which enable said units to be used to form the exposed faces of Ii; as shown in Fig. l, the shell or body includes an internal transverse wall I2 which divides said body or shell interiorly into open ended cells located adjacent to each other as illustrated. In the specific form shown, the transverse wall I2 is provided with an open ended recess i3 extending through said unit to the opposite faces thereof In the type of`unit for which the novel features are particularly adapted, the shell or body in its nished condition is inherently deficient in absorption properties and furthermore, because of the-thinness of its walls, does not include efficient mortar gripping `surfaces; in addition,

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units of the indicated class do not provide efficient insulation against sound, heat and cold.

To overcome the above-mentioned dehciencies, the novel building unit in all of its forms, is provided with sections o1" absorbent material which not only supplement the width of the end faces of the walls of the unit to provide adequate mortar beds, but also impart to said units the desired qualities of insulation against sound, heat and cold; any suitable materials capable oi being molded or otherwise fabricated to provide elements capable of being handled, may be used I in the production of the aforesaid sections. In other Words, the sections of material in their rlnal form not only absorb moisture but are further absorbent in the sense that they possess insulating properties as above set forth; In practice, the sections 'may correspond to those materials commercially known for instance as Thermax, Insulite, or Celotex.

rTo provide the desired novel construction in a simple and economical manner,y the unit in all of its forms is formed interiorly of the body with a pluralityy of members projecting in spaced parallelrelation to predetermined inner faces of said unit to form recesses in which the aforesaid sections of absorbent material are slidably accommodated in surface engagement with said inner faces and preferably so as to terminate ilush with the end faces of the walls of said unit. Inv the unit illustrated in Figs. l and 2, the aforesaid members comprise ribs I ll which project from the inner faces of the transverse Walls I I and I 2 the arrangement is such that the ribs I4 extend in directions toward each other in opposed pairs and to form recesses I5 contiguous to the inner faces of the opposed longitudinal walls I0 o f said unit. In some forms of the unit, the recesses I5 may be located along the inner face of only one of the longitudinal walls I0, although the construction illustrated in Fig.

l represents the preferred arrangement in this 'A respect. 'I'he recesses I5 of the form being described are dimensioned and located to receive the opposite end portions of preformed sections It of absorbent material, )the latter being dimensioned to fit between thje bottom walls of opposed recesses I5 and of a transverse thickness to snugly flt the recesses I5 themselves. In the preferred construction, the recesses I5 extend entirely through the body of the unit and terminate flush with the end faces of the walls4 thereof as shown in Fig. 2; it will, of course, be understood that if'desired the recesses I5 in this respect may be otherwise arranged. The frictonal t of the opposite ends of the sections I6 in the recesses I 5 alone may be relied upon to maintain said sections |6 in place, or additional means may be provided for this purpose as will appear more fully hereinafter. In the building unit shown in Fig. 1, an additional section of absorbent material I2', similar to the sections I6, may be inserted into the recess I3 and in such case is dimensioned so that said section II terminates flush with the opposite end faces of the transverse wall I2 and so as to snugly flt said recess I3, As shown in Fig. 1, the inner surfaces of the ribs I4 are preferably concave as indicated at I8 to provide the open ended interior cells of the unit with at least a partially curved shape in cross-section. When the units of this type are utilized in practice, the aforesaid cells provide fiues or conduits useful for many purposes as will be apparent.

The unit shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in addition to the longitudinal side walls I and the transverse end walls II, includes a plurality of intermedin ate transverse walls I2 whereby the body of the unit is divided interiorly into a plurality of open ended cells located adjacent to each other as shown. Ribs I4 project from the transverse walls I I a and I2 in directions toward each other and have their side edges concaved as shown at I9. The ribs I4 are so arranged as to form recesses I5 corresponding to the previously mentioned recesses I5 and likewise extending in contiguous relation to the inner faces of the opposite side walls I0, Sections I6 of absorbent material are located in surface engagement with the inner faces of the longitudinal side walls I0 and have their opposite ends positioned in the recesses I5 in the same Way as described with respect to Fig. 1. The sections I6 of absorbent material terminate flush with the end faces of the respective walls of the unit and preferably extend entirely through the body of said unit, the recesses I5 being arranged and dimensioned to secure this result. The form of unit now being described includes means for securing the sections I6a of absorbent material in the recesses I5 which means is illustrated inl the form of pins 20. The latter extend along the concaved side edges I9 of the ribs I4 and between said edges and the adjacent surfaces of the sections I6 of absorbent material; the pins 20 are arranged to depress or indent the surfaces of the sections I6 of absorbent material and serve thereby to firmly fix the ends of said sections I6 against unintentional removal from the recesses I5. To facilitate the introduction of the pins 20, these pins may be pointed at one end as shown at 2| in Fig. 4.

. The unit illustrated in Fig. 5, in addition to the longitudinal side walls IIlbl and transverse end walls IIb, includes an internal longitudinal wall 22 and a plurality of intermediate transverse walls I 2b whereby the body of the unit is divided into two parallel series of open ended cells as shown. The intermediate transverse walls I2b are pro-vided on one face with dove-tailed ribs I4b dimensioned and located to form recesses Il',b in opposed relation to each other and contiguous internal wall 22.

to the inner faces of the longitudinal side walls IDb and the internal longitudinal wall 22. Ribs I4c project from the opposite faces of the transverse Walls I2b and from the inner faces of the transverse end walls IIb and form recesses I5c in contiguous relation to the inside faces of the longitudinal side Walls I0b and the longitudinal Sections I6b lie in surface engagement with the inner faces of the longitudinal side walls Illb and the faces of the internal longitudinal wall 22 and have their opposite ends inserted in the recesses I5b as in the previous forms; because of the dove-tailed form of the ribs |411, the said ends of the sections I6b are indented and securely held against unintentional removal from the recesses I5". Similar sections IISc of absorbent material lie in surface engagement with the inner faces of the longitudinal side Walls IIIb and the opposite faces of the longitudinal internal wall 22 with their opposite ends located in the recesses |56. The sections I6b and I6 are preferably arranged and dimensioned to extend entirely through the body of the unit and so as to terminate in substantially flush relationv with the end faces of the walls of said unit.

In the unit illustrated in Fig. 6, ribs or members IIId extend from the inner faces of the transverse end walls IIc to the opposed faces of Iihe transverse interior wall I2c in parallel spaced relation to the inner faces of the longitudinal side walls IUC. With this construction recesses ld which preferably extend through the body of the unit are formed in contiguous relation to the longitudinal side walls I0 and serve to accommodate sections I6d of absorbent material as in the forms previously described and for the same purpose. The internal transverse wall I2c may be provided with a recess I3 corresponding to the recess I3 of Fig. 1 and likewise accommodating a section I'I of absorbent material.

In all of the forms of the building unit illustrated and described, the preformed sections of absorbent material may be readily inserted into the associated recesses and when in place not only provide the unit with the desired insulating properties, but also serve to supplement the transverse width of the end faces of the walls of said units to provide adequate mortar beds. With the novel constructions shown and described, the walls of said unit may be reduced to a minimum thickness, for instance, as small as one-quarter'inch, and by the addition of the sections of absorbent material such as I6, provide efficient mortar beds for securing adequate bonding with the mortar and for also providing the desired inherent insulation in the unit. The tightness of the bond provided between units by the mortar bonding insulating material exemplified by the sections such as I6, will eliminate the fine hair cracks now prevalent in most clay walls between mortar and impervious units, which cracks when present permit considerable heat and cold transmission through said units and also enable sound to pass therethrough.

If desired, the novel units may include a cleavage plane in the center as exemplified by the recesses I3 and I3 in which sections of absorbent material may also be inserted as` shown and described. The sections of absorbent material such as I6 may be inserted into the associated recesses at the particular job on which the novel units are being used to thereby enable the units to be shipped without the absorbent sections whereby the cost of transportation may be reduced, particularly when said units are shipped to foreign countries; in most cases, however, the sections of absorbent material are added to the units at the place of manufacture.

W'hile the novel features set forth liereinbefore are particularly adapted for use in connection with vitreous building units, said features may be eiiiciently utilized in connection with building units of other types and in such case will add to the efficiency and improve the construction thereof in approximately the same way as hereinbefore described.

Various changes in the specific forms shown and described may be made within the `Scope rof the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body, a preformed section of insulating material having one face located in free surface engagement with an inner face of said shell, and means integral with said shell projecting interiorly from a wall thereof in free surface engagement with the opposite face of said section of insulating material to fix the same in said shell 2. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell inherently deficient in absorption properties and forming a hollow open ended body having Walls the end faces of which are too narrow to provide eflicient mortar gripping surfaces, preformed sections of absorbent material each having one face located in free surface engagement with an inner face of said shell and terminating substantially flush with said end faces of said walls to supplement the Width thereof and thereby provide efficient mortar gripping surfaces, and ribs integral with said shell projecting interiorly from predetermined walls thereof in free surface engagement with the opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material to x the same in said shell.

3. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body, preformed sections of absorbent material having faces located in free surface engagement with predetermined inner faces of said shell, and a plurality of ribs integral with said shell projecting interiorly therefrom in free surface engagement with opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material to fix the same in said shell.

4. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body of rectangular form, ribs integral with said shell projecting from the inner faces of the transverse walls of said body to form opposed recesses contiguous to an inner face of a longitudinal wall of said body, and a section of absorbent material having one face in surface engagement with said inner face of said longitudinal wall and having its opposite ends located in said recesses with the intermediate portion of the opposite face of said section of absorbent material exposed to the interior of said shell.

5. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forminga hollow open ended body of rectangular form, ribs integral with said shell projecting toward each other in 'co-operating pairs from the inner faces of opposite transverse walls of said body to form opposed open` ended recesses open toward each other contiguous to the inner faces of opposite longitudinal walls of said body, and sections of absorbent material having faces in surface engagement with said inner faces of said longitudinal Walls` and having their opposite ends located in said recesses with the intermediate portions of the opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material exposed to the interior of said shell.

6. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body of rectangular form, Aribs integral with said shell projecting toward each other in co-operating pairs from the inner faces of opposite transverse walls of said body in directions toward each other to form open ended recesses open toward each other contiguous to the inner faces of opposite longitudinal walls of said body, the inner surfaces of said ribs being concave, and sections of absorbent material having faces in surface engagement with said inner faces of the longitudinal walls and havin-g their opposite ends located .in said recesses with the intermediate portions of the opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material exposedto the interior of said shell.

"1. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body of rectangular form, ribs integral with said shell projecting from opposite transverse walls of said body to form opposed open ended recesses contiguous to the inner face of at least one longitudinal wall of said body and open toward each other, a section of absorbent material having a face in surface engagement with said inner face and having its opposite ends located in said recesses with the intermediate portion of the opposite face of said section of absorbent material exposed to the interior of said shell, and means-co-operating with said ribs for securing said ysections of material in said recesses.

8. A building unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming ahollow open ended body of rectangular form, ribs integral with said shell having concave side edges and projecting from opposite transverse walls of said body to form opposed open ended recesses contiguous to the inner faces of opposite longitudinal walls of said body and open toward each other, sections of absorbent material having faces in surface engagement with said inner faces and having their opposite ends located in said recesses with the intermediate portions of the opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material exposed to the interior of said shell, and pins extending along the concave side ledges of said ribs for securing 'said sections of material in said recesses.

9. A kbuilding unit comprising a continuous integral shell forming a hollow open ended body of rectangular form, sections of absorbent mal teria] having faces in surface engagement with the inner faces of predetermined longitudinal walls of said shell, and dovetail ribs integral with saidl shell projecting interiorly from predetermined transverse Walls lof said shell over the opposite faces of said sections of absorbent material and embedded therein to fix said sections in said shell.

10. A building unit comprising a hollow open ended body of rectangular form, ribs extending between transverse Walls of said body in spaced parallel relation to the longitudinal walls thereof to form open ended recesses open toward each other in opposed relation, and preformed sections of absorbent material inserted bodily into said recesses in surface vengagement with said longitudinal walls.

VERN A. BARNHART. 

